Independence Day 2024: Centre Announces 1,037 Gallantry Awards, Check Full List of Recipients

New Delhi: The Central Government announced the award of 1,037 service medals to personnel from Central and State police forces on the eve of Independence Day. These honors include 208 Gallantry Medals, recognising exceptional bravery, with notable recipients serving in conflict-prone regions such as Jammu and Kashmir, Left-wing extremism-affected areas, and Maharashtra.

The Union Home Ministry published the list of awardees, which also includes the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service and the Police Medal for Meritorious Service. Among the recipients are officers who have shown outstanding dedication and valor, including posthumous honors for those martyred in the line of duty.

Total Medals Announced: 1,037 service medals

Gallantry Medals:

• Total: 208 awarded

Key Recipients:

• 52 personnel from CRPF
• 31 personnel from Jammu & Kashmir Police
• 17 personnel each from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra
• 15 personnel from Chhattisgarh
• 12 personnel from Madhya Pradesh
• 7 personnel each from Jharkhand, Punjab, and Telangana
• 14 personnel from SSB
• 10 personnel from CISF
• 6 personnel from BSF
• 3 GM to Delhi personnel
• 1 GM each to Jharkhand Fire Service and Uttar Pradesh Fire, Home Guard & Civil Defence (HG&CD) personnel

Notable Acts of Bravery:

• PSI Dhanaji Honmane (Maharashtra) awarded posthumously for bravery in a 2020 Naxalite encounter
• Gadchiroli Additional SP Kunal Tare, SDPO Kunal Sonvane, and several others honored for operations against Naxalites
• Head Constable Chaduvu Yadaiah (Telangana) awarded for rare gallantry during a 2022 robbery encounter

President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM):

• Recipients include Additional DGP Chiranjeev Prasad and ACPs Satish Govekar and Rajendra Dahale

Police Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM):

• 39 police officials in Maharashtra, including Additional Commissioner Datta Shinde and DIG Sandeep Diwan
• ASI Dwarkadas Bhange recognized for contributions to improving conviction rates

Medal Categories:

• Gallantry Medals (GM): For conspicuous acts of bravery
• President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM): For exceptional service
• Police Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM): For dedicated service